


Dulcet

by blackcoffeeandteardrops



Category: The X-Files
Genre: AU, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-27 03:45:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13872429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackcoffeeandteardrops/pseuds/blackcoffeeandteardrops
Summary: It's William's birthday, and a nice evening at the Mulder-Scully residence ensues.





	Dulcet

**Author's Note:**

> More fluff than you can probably shake a stick at. Guaranteed to probably satisfy your sweet tooth a tiny bit. And, seriously, these three deserved (and still do) something half as sweet. Thanks to Hannah (firstofoctober) for prompt, and thank you for reading!

“Please don't do this,” Scully said, taking several steps back and watching the object Mulder bounced from one hand to the other warily. William's birthday party had gone by without a hitch; he'd invited a handful of kids from his class and a few from the little league team, and with the help of Maggie and Mulder they'd decked out the house with streamers and balloons.

After the cake they'd gone outside for party games and a water balloon fight. The other kids and Maggie had all gone home, leaving she and Mulder to clean up the debris in the yard. William was “helping”, but so far seemed more interested in trying to con one of them into giving him more cake. She'd been telling him no and stooping to collect pieces of popped water balloon from the ground when she heard Mulder come up behind her. “Where did you even find that?” she asked, gulping as she realized the object in his hands was a water balloon, still filled and threatening to burst.

“Oh, around,” Mulder replied with a shrug. He bounced the balloon into his right hand, testing it's weight. He looked to William, noting the blue icing smeared across one cheek. His face had been clean before they'd come outside to clean up and wave Maggie goodbye, so he suspected their son had gotten extra cake despite he and Scully telling him it wasn't a good idea. “What do you think, buddy? Your mom here is the only one who managed to not get wet in the water balloon fight. Do you think that's fair?”

William fought back a yawn and rubbed at one eye. At five, he was past the age of needing naps every day, but the excitement of sugar and presents was starting to wear off. “Yeah!”

Scully held her hand to her chest, feigning shock. “Traitor. Seriously, Mulder. The sun is about to set, and it's getting cool out here, and--”

“And we’re about to go inside. Come on, Scully, it's the last one,” Mulder interrupted, wiggling his eyebrows.

“I’m not armed, Mulder. This wouldn't be a fair fight,” she replied, shaking her head as she caught the glimpse of excitement in his eyes. She wouldn't put it past him to unleash the balloon on her before she was ready.

Beside her, William gasped, his eyes honing in on a water gun that had been left on the ground a few feet away. He sprinted to get it and ran right back to Scully, shaking it near his ear, listening for the sound of water sloshing around inside. “Here, mom, it's still got water in it,” he said, his cheeks red and his breathing heavy from the exertion of running. “Get him!”

It was Mulder's turn to pretend to be shocked. He narrowed his eyes and shook the water balloon in William's direction. “Betrayed by my own son? Maybe I should throw it at you, huh?”

“No,” William replied, giggling and holding his hands in front of his face. When Mulder pretended like he was going to throw it at him, William ran further into the yard. “Not if you can't catch me.”

Mulder shook his head and turned to Scully, pointing at William with the hand that wasn't holding the balloon. “That kid runs too fast for me.”

“Go get him, old man,” she replied and, in a fit of childish excitement, pulled the trigger on the water gun a few times, spraying a stream of water across his chest.

“I’m sure you know this means war, Scully,” he said, pointing to the wet spot on his shirt. He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at William who practically vibrated with energy about a yard away. Maybe getting him to run some energy off before bed was a good idea. “I’ve gotta catch him first. You ready, kid?”

“No,” William said, darting his tongue out of his mouth. He wiggled his hips, waiting until his parents got closer before darting off again. “You can't catch me!”

Scully jogged after him, turning to spray Mulder with the water gun a few times as she did so.

“You’ll pay for that later,” Mulder murmured, pressing his hand to the small of her back.

A shiver went through her despite the warm early evening air. She took a few steps away from him and waved at William, smiling conspiratorially as she beckoned him towards her. “C’mere, Will.”

William hesitated, glancing warily at the water gun in her hands before running towards her, his arms wrapping around her legs.

Mulder watched as Scully crouched to William's level, making a show of whispering in his ear. He watched as William turned towards him and smiled, and Mulder knew that even if they were staging a plan against him, he couldn't bring himself to be mad about it.

“Hey, dad,” William said, stifling a giggle behind his hands. “Can I have a hug?”

Mulder's heart warmed at the question, even if he knew the offer was suspect. He shifted his weight from one foot to the next, making sure he could stand his ground. William running at full speed could pack a punch. He had just turned five and still had plenty of growing to do, a fact which Mulder loved and dreaded at the same time. He didn't want to imagine a day when his son might be bigger than him. As he pondered this, he felt William run against him.

Scully joined in, and somewhere amidst the activity, the water balloon burst, getting water on all three of them. She tilted her head back and laughed, letting the water gun fall to the ground, forgotten. She picked William up, much to his chagrin, and positioned him against her hip. “We need to go inside and wash up,” she said, holding his hand still sticky from icing in her own. “Come on, if you hurry and wash nicely, you can pick the movie tonight.”

“It’s my birthday,” William said, his tone as serious as a child his age could muster. “Daddy already said I could pick the movie.”

“He did?” Scully asked, looking to Mulder who simply shrugged in reply. He’d been on a kick lately, and they both knew without asking what he’d choose. “Okay, well, let’s get you cleaned up and ready for bed then.”

“Not tired,” William replied, despite the way he again rubbed at his eyes. As Mulder held the door open for them he hid a yawn against her shoulder. “James said _his_ mom lets him stay up an hour later now that he’s a big kid.”

“Well, do you want to go live with James then? I’m sure some other little boy would love playing with all the presents you got today,” Scully replied, carefully lowering him from her arms. It wouldn’t be much longer until he grew too big to carry.

William shook his head, defiant. “No! They’re _my_ presents,” he insisted.

“Go grab some pajamas then. I’ll be up to start your bath in a second,” she said, watching as he made his way up the stairs. She could sense Mulder’s eyes on her and turned to face him. “You do realize giving him the option of what movie to watch means he’ll pick _Toy Story_ again, right?”

Mulder nodded in the affirmative, wrapping his arms around her and sighing in contentment as she tucked her head under his chin. “Maybe he’ll stay awake this time. Pretty sure he got his ability to fall asleep basically anywhere from you.”

Scully pulled back just enough to plant a chaste kiss to his lips, wary of the child who could walk in at any moment. “Watch it,” she said, kissing him again before heading upstairs to draw William’s bath.

Predictably, William did pick _Toy Story_ , and found himself getting drowsy just over halfway through. His head bobbed up and down a few times, his eyelids growing heavy, before tucking his feet into Mulder’s lap and slipping his head under Scully’s arm.

“You sleepy, buddy? You can go to bed if you want,” Mulder suggested, reaching over to card a hand through his auburn curls. He needed a haircut soon, a fact he’d told Scully earlier that week, but she’d simply shook her head in response. His hair had taken so long to grow in, she’d said, that the few trims here and there would have to be enough.

William yawned, already on his way to a peaceful slumber after a long afternoon fueled by cake and pizza and running around, and shook his head as he burrowed deeper into Scully’s side. “Nope. Not tired.”

“Not tired, huh?” Scully asked, laughing softly. She planted a kiss to the top of his head, smelling soap and No More Tears shampoo. It wasn’t often these days that he was so affectionate, so rather than pushing the issue of bedtime, she wrapped an arm around him, rubbing soothing circles across his back, and settled in to watch the rest of a movie that thanks to him, she had all but memorized.

After the credits rolled, Mulder carefully lifted him from Scully’s arms and helped him get to bed. He was getting to the age where he insisted on not needing to be tucked in, but given the fact he was asleep, Mulder knew there was no other option. Once William was in bed, Mulder carefully shut the door and set about settling in for the night himself. He wasn’t surprised when he entered his and Scully’s bedroom to see that she’d managed to quickly change into pajamas herself and was already in bed, glasses perched atop her nose and reading a book. “Anything interesting?”

Scully looked up, marking her page and setting the book aside. “Mom leant it to me earlier. She said it’s one she and her book club really loved.”

“Well,” Mulder said, carefully sitting atop the bed. He scooted closer to her, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. “If reading is what you had in mind, maybe I should let you be--”

“This doesn’t exactly seem like you leaving me be, Mulder,” Scully replied, feeling his nose press softly against her skin as he planted a kiss just behind the shell of her ear. The hand that he’d wrapped around her was tracing lines against her arm, causing goosebumps. “You do realize that all that jostling him around probably woke him up, right? If he comes in here--”

“I locked the door,” Mulder replied, nuzzling her neck, smiling as she slipped her glasses off and set them on the nightstand, knowing he was winning her over. “But hey, Scully, if reading’s what you want to do tonight, far be it from be to stop you.”

Scully settled her head against the headboard, closing her eyes in contentment. The day had worn her out, chasing around several kindergarteners and making sure William’s party had gone smoothly. The look of excitement on her son’s face upon opening his presents had all been worth it though, considering how close they’d once come to losing everything they held dear. Since his birth in a secluded area of Georgia, the army of people that threatened to take him hadn’t come knocking again. Life hadn’t been without it’s scary moments, and there were still times when she or Mulder caught themselves reaching for guns they no longer clipped in holsters at their sides. She thought of what Mulder had told her when they’d first brought William home, about how maybe their son wasn’t what everyone thought he was, and she wondered if he was right. Either way, he was loved more than he’d ever understand, and she hoped he’d never have to know how easily life could have been different.

“What’s going on in there?” Mulder asked, breaking her reverie as he gently tapped a fingertip against her temple.

She shrugged and settled more comfortably in the circle of his arms. “Just thinking,” she replied.

“I was thinking, too, actually,” Mulder said, resting his chin atop her crown. “We’ve got to hide that movie. There’s _got_ to be a better one he might like. The whole concept of toys coming to life is unsettling.”

“You weren’t the one who tried getting some peace and quiet only to have your vacation upended by a doll bent on wreaking havoc and making people think your owner was insane or a witch,” Scully replied, groaning as she could practically feel Mulder puffing up with pride against her.

“So you  _do_ admit there was something strange going on? When you got back, you told me you were just on vacation,” Mulder teased, running a strand of her hair between his fingers. “That feels like a long time ago.”

Scully sat up, inching closer to him. She ran her fingers along his hairline, noting hints of gray mixed in with the brown. “That’s because it _was_ a long time ago, Mulder. A lot has changed since then.”

He quirked an eyebrow, having a feeling where she was headed, but willing to let her take the lead. “It has? You could’ve fooled me, Scully. I mean, what’s so different about--”

“Mulder?”

“Yes?” he replied, incapable of saying much else as he felt her hand sliding down his chest, inching ever closer to his waistband.

“You want to know what’s different?” she asked, her lips whispering against his. “The wonderful little boy sleeping right next door, which is exactly why we need to be quiet, for one. And for two? Historically, you’d have rambled endlessly about strange impossibilities before I inevitably found a way to steer you in the right direction.”

Mulder nodded, finding himself transfixed by her touch. There was a time he’d only imagined it and, once he’d experienced it, he never wanted to take it for granted. He gulped, shivering under her careful hands. “And now?”

Scully shrugged, her eyes playful. After everything they’d been through, they’d earned the right to take their time. “Now, I can still do that. But now, you can kiss me.”

He pretended to consider it for a moment before shifting them against the pillows, tugging her hip closer to his. “You know what?” he asked, his voice thick with raw emotion and need. “You’re right,” he said, capturing her lips with his, and doing exactly that.


End file.
